October 2025 Recap
The weather finally got cooler and spooky decorations are out in full force. It's my favorite time of year! This October has been a pretty nice one with a mixture of busy-but-not-too-busy work, some solid time with friends and family, and diving deep into some hobbies.
Work and Art Updates
I released my new poster for Dirty Heads at their show in Pinellas Park, FL. I did a lot of different sketches for this one and the band wanted to go with this Halloween design. Cool with me! I had a lot of fun working with these colors and putting this one together. (And hey, it's available in my shop!)
I also created a couple of new illustrations for Metro Parent Magazine and Austin Monthly Magazine. On the design side of things, I've been working on some logos, report layouts, keyframes for some simple animations, social media campaign graphics, and some booth and swag designs for trade shows.
I've also been very slowly figuring out and experimenting with making linoleum block prints. I really enjoy carving the blocks but have been having trouble getting good, consistent prints. I'm sure I will give some more updates on this as I go.
Personal Updates
I managed to escape the dungeon a few times this past month. Cider mill visits are a fall-time Michigan must, although we only made it out to one this year. Shameful. Halloween has brought some fun events with friends and family, such as attending the Detroit Zoo Boo and Hallowe'en at Greenfield Village. My kid dressed up as the banana from Fortnite, so I decided to go as a monkey.
I made it out to the first meeting of Brag Time, hosted by Dolan Personke. It was a little event where some of us creative types got to hang out and talk about our recent work. I got to catch up with some old friends and make some new ones, and it was a really nice event to be invited to. Thanks, Dolan!
My good buddy Matt Waste (go nab some cool stuff from him!) hosted an awesome Halloween-themed Music League for the entire month. It was a lot of fun thinking of songs to fit each round's theme and to share some fun and funny music with friends. I ended up coming in 4th out of 19 and am feeling pretty "chuffed" as the Brits say.
I've also been getting more into a newer hobby: my home server. Another good buddy Nate (A.K.A. Kinda Great—go nab stuff from him, too!) has been a big help as I've been getting up to speed. It started with a simple home media server but I keep adding more and more to it. I love tinkering with "computer stuff" and this was been scratching that itch in a very satisfying way.
Media Consumption
It's been hard to get my brain to focus on much lately, but I've always got something going.
Watching:
- A few spooky movies I'd never seen (The Others, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein (the old one))
- A couple spooky favorites (The Nightmare Before Christmas, House)
- The Chair Company (yep, I'm a Tim fan)
- I've also been throwing Star Trek TNG on in the background sometimes. I've never considered myself a Trek fan, but there's something nostalgic and comforting about that zany-ass show.
Playing:
It's been harder than ever for me to really sink into a video game this year. This month I've been trying out some games like Silk Song, Megabonk, and Ball x Pit. They're all fun and cool but I keep falling off after a couple sessions. My brain just isn't wired for games right now?
Listening:
My music listening habits are an embarrassment these days and I've been letting The Algorithm take the wheel too often. Aside from the aforementioned Music League, I've been back on my autumnal BS including a mix of things like Midlake, The Album Leaf, Thomas Tallis, S. Carey, American Football, and The Two Towers soundtrack. Matt also introduced me to Touchstone, an Irish/Bluegrass band that I'm enjoying.
Reading:
I've really fallen off of this one. I've been in the middle of a couple of books for forever. I did pick up a copy of Nancy Wears Hats which is always a delight.
That's it for me this month. I hope November treats you well. ✌️